VISUALJOURNALIST

Charles Apple is a longtime news artist, graphics reporter, designer, editor and blogger. The former Focus page editor of the Orange County Register and graphics director of the Virginian-Pilot and the Des Moines Register, he spent five years as an international consultant and instructor. Currently, he’s deputy design director for the Houston Chronicle. He spends way too much time online. Read more ...

Here’s wishing the happiest of birthdays to a pair of wonderful folks…

Karl Gude is a journalism instructor at Michigan State University. One of the better infographics brains in the known universe, Karl spent the better part of three decades as a graphics director for United Press International (1979-1985), the New York Daily News (1985-86), the National sports daily (1989-1991), the Associated Press (1986-1989 and 1991-1995) and Newsweek magazine (1999-2006). Find examples of Karl’s infographics work here and of his fine art work here. His series of instructional videos is especially notable: Check out this one on how to draw butts:

Artie Apple is a maintenance foreman with CSX railroad in Augusta, Ga. A huge sports star for Long Cane Academy in McCormick, S.C. way back in the early 1990s, Artie played two years of college football and also was a heck of a motorcycle racer in his younger days. He also has two gorgeous daughters — neither of whom I can believe inherited any of our family genes. My theory: They’re both aliens from the planet Cute. My “baby” brother turns 43 today.

Here’s wishing the happiest of birthdays to three wonderful visual journalists…

Phyllis Bailey is a wire editor for the Gannett Design Studio in Nashville, Tenn. A 1981 graduate of California State University, Long Beach, Phyllis spent four years as a reporter for the Des Moines (Iowa) Register and two years as a reporter and copy editor for the Times of Trenton, N.J. She became a copy editor on the metro desk of the Milwaukee Journal in 1989 and moved to the St. Petersburg Times in 1992. She left that paper after 19 years as a senior copy editor and designer and started work in Nashville in 2012. Find her portfolio here and her Twitter feed here.

Matt Erickson is assistant editor for MMAjunkie.com, part of USA Today’s sports media group. A 1997 graduate of Eastern Illinois University, Matt immediately joined the the Times of Munster, Ind., and worked there for 13 years as a designer and, eventually, director of presentation and visuals. He spent time as a regional director for the Society for News Design and coordinated the SND annual contest in 2005. Matt left the Times in 2010 to strike out on his own as a freelance sportswriter specializing in coverage of Mixed Martial Arts. He spent a year or so working with Heavy.com and joined MMAjunkie.com in 2012. He also sells prints of amazing urban landscape photos he’s been taking with a technique called High Dynamic Range. Find his gallery here and my write-ups of his photo work here and here. This year, he even sold a photo to be used on a book cover.

Tim Thorsen is senior editor at Scripps Treasure Coast Newspapers of Stuart, Fla. A 1995 graduate of the University of South Carolina, Tim spent two years as a sports editor and designer for the Reporter-News of Abilene, Texas, before moving to Corpus Christi as assistant sports editor. In 2002, he moved to the Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C., as a news designer. He slid over to sports copy editor and designer in 2004, became 1A editor in 2007 and was named night news editor in 2011. He moved to Florida in 2012. Find his portfolio here and his Twitter feed here. Tim turns 42 today.

A 2000 graduate of Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., Ryan spent four years with the Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne, Ind., before moving to the Virginian-Pilot of Norfolk, Va. He moved on to the Roanoke Times in 2007, with his wife Gretchen Tipps, who also made the move from the Pilot to the Times. Ryan edited wire copy, metro copy and the travel page. He eventually became night news production team leader. He also writes and edits for D3football.com, a web site devoted to Division III football. In 2014, Ryan earned a master’s degree in agriculture and life sciences from Virginia Tech University. He left newspapers earlier this year. He and Gretchen own Cherry Lane, a Certified Naturally Grown farm specializing in blackberries, sour plumbs and four types of garlic. Find Ryan’s Twitter feed here.

Here’s wishing the happiest of birthdays to three excellent visual journalists…

ArLuther Lee is a content strategist for Arlubic Design of Atlanta, Ga. A 1997 graduate of the University of Florida, ArLuther spent four years at the Fort Myers News-Press and then another two years at the Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel before moving to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in 2003 as a designer and copy editor. He left newspapers earlier this year.

Therese Shechter is an award-winning filmmaker specializing in quirky, humor-tinged documentaries. She spent ten years as associate graphics editor and a features art director of the Chicago Tribune before leaving newspapers to go work for Robert DeNiro’s Tribeca Productions in New York City. She’s now on her own as an independent filmmaker, having made I Was A Teenage Feminist and How I Learned to Speak Turkish. Her most recent projects both premiered in 2013: How to Lose Your Virginity and SlutWalkNYC. Learn more about the Trixie Films operation here. Find Therese’s design portfolio here. Find her Twitter feed here.

Woody Vondracek is a graphic artist in Youngsville, N.C. A former mechanic for Eastern Airlines, Woody spent several years at the Miami Herald and then the News & Observer of Raleigh. His big claim to fame, though, was as a poster artist during the art deco revival of Miami’s South Beach in the 1970s and 1980s. Find his web site — and order copies of his prints — here.

Here’s wishing the happiest of birthdays to Erica Howard, marketing and special events coordinator for Florida State University, Panama City.

A 2006 graduate of the University of Central Florida, Erica spent six years as a copy editor and page designer for the Panama City News Herald. When Freedom Communications sold the paper to Halifax in 2012, she became slot editor. She left the paper in 2013 to take her current position. Find her portfolio here. Erica turns 31 today.